Artem Lobov has revealed whether Conor McGregor will watch his grudge match against Khabib Nurmagomedov's protege at PFL Champion Series 3.
Lobov and McGregor were close friends during the latter's rise to UFC superstardom. They were inseparable and were often side-by-side in the gym, at press conferences and in each other's corners.
But things between Lobov and McGregor turned sour and now they find themselves embroiled in a legal battle, stemming from a lawsuit filed by 'The Russian Hammer' against one of McGregor's businesses.
Lobov and McGregor, meanwhile, are both preparing for their MMA comeback, with the Russian-born Irish fighter facing Zubaira Tukhugov, who is trained by Nurmagomedov, on the undercard of the blockbuster rematch between Usman Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes in Dubai on October 3, while McGregor is eyeing a spot on next year's White House card.
Advert
Lobov's fight against Tukhugov is a genuine extension of McGregor's fierce rivalry with Khabib.
Tukhugov attacked McGregor during the infamous post-fight brawl at UFC 229.
Almost seven years on from UFC 229, Lobov finally gets to seek revenge when he meets Tukhugov in one of the featured fights at PFL Champions Series 3.
Despite his broken relationship with McGregor, the 39-year-old is convinced his ex-pal will be glued to the screen when he resumes the rivalry.
Advert
Asked whether McGregor will be watching his fight, Lobov told SPORTbible: "Of course, when I fight the world watches. Whether you like me or not, they know my fights are exciting... they are good to watch, they are emotional, everybody loves my fights, including McGregor... so, of course he'll watch my fight."
Lobov hasn't fought in MMA since 2018 and hasn't competed since his Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship bout against Denys Berinchyk in July 2021.
But the opportunity to face Tukhugov was too good to turn down.
Advert
"This was a fight that was on my mind for the past seven years," he explained. "I knew I had to get this done. Now I'm back in training, I could potentially see myself doing one or two more fights. If I don't have another fight after this, I won't care. This one had to happen."
He added: "For me, it's not about team vs. team. I have to get this guy back. We've seen how he behaved when it's 10 vs. 1. So, let's see how he behaves when it's 1 vs. 1. When he's fighting 1 vs. 1, he's running away from his opponent, he's tapping pretty quick in fights but when there's a few guys with him - he's very brave... jumped into the cage with McGregor after his fight when he was exhausted."
Artem Lobov recalls his altercation with Khabib Nurmagomedov that sparked Conor McGregor rivalry
Lobov's explosive altercation with Khabib triggered a series of events, culminating with the unsavoury melee at UFC 229.
Advert
He was confronted by 'The Eagle' over words he supposedly said about him in the media.
The UFC legend was pictured having his hands around Lobov's neck during UFC 223 fight week in Brooklyn, which prompted McGregor to jet out to the United States to attack a bus with a dolly that was carrying Khabib and two of his teammates.
On his altercation with Khabib, Lobov recalled: "Khabib first came up to me 1 on 1. We squared it all off, me and him. He said: 'Why are you talking about me?'
Advert
"I said: 'You're insulting my brother so severely, if someone said that about your brother, you would have responded'. He walked off."
He continued: "But then he came back with 10 guys, suddenly he has more questions. 1 on 1, no questions for me... 10 vs. 1, loads of questions. That's not right. So, lets settle it like real men... 1 vs. 1."
On what he remembers from his incident with Khabib, Lobov recollected: "I was just there doing a phone interview, it might have been with Joe Rogan. And Khabib saw me and approached me.
"And that's how this unfolded... so that's why we are here finally doing it 1 on 1," he added, referring to his fight against Tukhugov.
Topics: Conor McGregor, Spotlight, UFC, Artem Lobov
Nasir Jabbar